by Avery Gale
“Have you thought about how you are going to answer her questions about how we found her? Because they’re coming, you know.” Kalen had settled Abby on Logan’s lap in the small parlor and had joined Jace at the bow.
“No fucking clue. But you are right, it’s coming and all I can do is level with her. You and Logan are off the hook because you weren’t here when we did it.”
“But we’ve both known about it and haven’t told her, so I doubt we’ll just get a pass.” Kalen doubted she would hold it against them, but he wanted to be prepared. “She’s brilliant but her sense of self-preservation needs a lot of work. We want her, Jace. And not just for a short fling. Logan and I have both wanted her for longer than you’ll want to hear about, but we waited until she was old enough to make an informed decision about our lifestyle.” Kalen ran his hand through black hair that was probably well past needing to be cut. “I know your dads are both Doms and your mom is their submissive, but I don’t know how much Abby knows about their lifestyle since she was so young when she left for college. Although frankly, I can’t imagine she has ever missed even the most subtle nuance – well, unless she was working and then she might have missed chainsaw wielding masked men streaking through their damned living room.”
They both laughed, but Kalen sensed there was something his friend was holding back. “If you know anything that will help us keep Abigail safe, please share it. You know her safety and happiness will always be our number one priority. Knowing what a tireless researcher she is, I doubt she is completely in the dark about the lifestyle.” I’m willing to bet she has looked at every major website available on the topic and probably has more explicit knowledge than many long-term submissives. And I hope like hell she doesn’t want to simply do one of her glorified empirical studies of the subject. “Before you ask - yes, we plan to train her as our sub, but she has too much to contribute to the world for us to keep her at home barefoot and pregnant.”
Jace leaned his head back and laughed out loud. “Yeah, well, that would have been fun to watch. Christ, she’d skewer you if she even heard that mentioned. But you are right, she does have a lot to contribute. Hell, her work on energy will revolutionize the industry if it goes the way it looks like it’s going to go. She’ll probably have a Nobel Prize before she’s thirty and anytime you rack up that much notoriety and are going to change the way trillion-dollar businesses operate you are going to step on some toes. I refuse to apologize for the third tracker because it saved her life. She may be pissed but she’ll listen to reason, and if all else fails I’ll sick Ian on her. She idolizes him because he’s probably as smart as she is and he funded her first lab.” Jace chuckled and shook his head. For a few minutes Kalen wasn’t sure he was going to finish the story. “She was thirteen and we were talking over one of Ian’s earlier versions of a video phone call program. Now they used Skype. When he overheard her bemoaning the fact that our parents wouldn’t hand over ten grand so she could set up a lab in the basement Ian hacked into her computer and had everything on her “wish list” delivered within the week. When she called to thank him, he admonished her to stop leaving her laptop on-line when it didn’t need to be. And he told her she had to install the security programming he’d sent her before she set up any of the other equipment.”
“Jesus, who sends a thirteen-year-old ten grand in lab equipment?”
“Ian McGregor, because he believed in her. He still has a major financial stake in what she’s working on. They are close, very close. She considers him a mentor and another brother, much like Gage. And Ian is very protective of her as well, so heads up to that. But the thing is, I don’t know how much sexual experience Abby has had. If I had to guess, I’d say little or none.” Kalen knew his eyes must have conveyed his surprise. “Yeah, I know – and that’s why I’m mentioning it. Be careful with her, she needs to understand tenderness before she can appreciate discipline. And I know how you and Boomer operate, you’re both balls-to-the-wall with subs so I just want you to understand exactly what you’re getting into. And remember, I know where you fuckers live. Hurt her and you die.” Kalen was wise enough to know that even though the threat had been veiled in humor, Jace hadn’t been kidding about not hurting Abby. What Jace didn’t know was that it was much more likely she would end up hurting both he and Logan.
Chapter Seven
Abby knew where she was immediately even though the beautiful apartment Logan was carrying her through was a mirror image of Jace and Gage’s. But this one was decorated in a much more minimalist fashion and the effect gave it an almost Zen-like feel. Knowing Kalen’s interest in all things ancient and mystic, it was obvious he’d had the most input. When Logan didn’t set her down, but continued walking until they were in the master bath Abby’s eyes went immediately to the biggest walk-in shower she’d ever seen. There were two walls of black and silver tile and a third wall that was glass blocks. She watched as Kalen started the water and smiled when she saw they had shower heads at various heights on two walls in addition to several in the ceiling.
But it was the lighting in the glass wall that really captured her interest. The lights seemed to be synched to the music that had started playing and the effect was mesmerizing. Abby had been so enthralled with the shower that she hadn’t even noticed they both stripped and were almost finished removing her clothes as well. “Step out, baby.” Logan was kneeling at her feet and she slowly lifted each leg so he could remove the drawstring topped pants the nurses had given her. He rose slowly and when his mouth was even with her bare breast his tongue snaked out and circled her nipple before he blew a puff of air over each one smiling as they tightened into sharp points. “Beautiful. I can hardly wait to clamp these beauties. Your birthstone is ruby, right?” His teeth were putting just enough pressure on one stiff nipple that the pain was shooting electric bolts of pleasure straight to her sex. She felt her pussy flood with cream and she hoped they moved her into the shower quickly before one of them noticed her juices were already coating the insides of her thighs.
Kalen was standing off to her right leaning against the glass wall in a pose that should have looked casual, but was anything but. He studied her with intent and the hunger was plain to see. “Abigail, I believe Logan asked you a question. You need to answer our questions immediately and in complete honesty. Keep in mind, love, editing your response or omitting information is still lying. Since we haven’t talked about the rules yet you’re going to get a pass on that one. But for future reference, if we have to repeat a question or order, you’ll be racking up punishments rather quickly.”
“Punishments?” As soon as the word left her mouth, Abby realized she still hadn’t answered the question Logan had asked her. “Yes, the ruby is my birthstone.” After their poolside interlude a few weeks ago, Abby had spent hours on the internet reading everything she could find about Dominance and submission. She had even found a site that offered an interactive quiz designed to identify whether a person was a Dom or sub. She’d answered the questions and it had confirmed what she’d already known but didn’t really understand because no one who knew her would ever describe her as submissive. When she’d chatted online with a few people who were associated with higher-end clubs like Club Isola and The ShadowDance Club, they’d explained that being a sub and being a professional woman were not in any way at odds.
She’d talked to a woman in New York who had been in a Master/slave arrangement for over two decades and she was also the head pediatric surgeon at one of the largest hospitals on the east coast. Abby had been relieved and thrilled to hear that she didn’t have to give up her life’s work just to be in a D/s relationship even though she didn’t understand the logistics of the relationships. Several of the subs she had talked to had assured her that as the submissive she really had all the power. They taught her all about negotiating hard and soft limits, boundaries, safe words, and too many other things for her to even think about right now. When she refocused on Kalen, she saw his lips tilt up ever so su
btly. “Have a nice time on your little mental field trip, love?”
Never one to hide behind feigned shyness, Abby answered honestly. “I was thinking about the research I did about Doms and subs.” When Kalen just continued studying her, she went on, “I chatted on-line with a few of the subs that had been willing to answer my questions and they told me that there are a lot of professional women who are submissives outside of their careers and they answered most of my questions and well, I know I’m rambling and you didn’t really ask me anything except if I had a good time so I guess I should just say that it was more of a brief refresher seminar than an actual field trip.” Well snap. Could you sound any more like an academic, Abby? Maybe when catfish learn to do cartwheels you’ll learn when to shut up.
Abby’s first clue that she’d just spoken her thoughts out loud was Logan’s failed attempt to smother his snort of laughter. Kalen’s raised eyebrow was a pretty big clue also. “Catfish do cartwheels? Very interesting, but we don’t mind if you sound academic, love. You are an academic, Abigail. Don’t ever hide who you are—from us or anyone else.” Even though his words had sounded stern, Abby didn’t miss the affection that they were laced with or how they warmed her heart.
“We want you Abigail and we think you want us too, but we need to hear you say it. We have a lot to discuss and it begins right now.” Abby felt a wave of pure need wash through her in a flash of heat that made her wonder if her skin was glowing. Both men now stood in front of her with their feet planted shoulder width apart and their bulging biceps crossed over bare chests of rippled muscles that she wanted to taste almost as much as she wanted her next breath.
“Yes, I want you, but I don’t…well, I don’t have much experience…but you probably already guessed that.” She tried to keep her eyes on theirs but it was just too much. It didn’t matter that she had slept during most of the trip back from the mountains, she was still emotionally drained and that condition was always the worst time her to make decisions. But right now, Abby wasn’t sure she even knew how to back away from something her heart desired so much.
When they both reached for her hands, Abby followed them silently into the shower and just stood quietly with her head tipped back and let the water flow over her face. The warm pulses of water relaxed her even more and she considered for a minute that she should probably sit down just as her knees buckled. “Whoa, baby. Let’s get you finished up and into bed.” Logan had caught her before she’d gone clear to the floor and he held her against his chest while Kalen washed and then conditioned her long hair. She quickly found herself lost in the moment. The feel of Kalen’s hands massaging her scalp and the feeling of Logan’s light dusting of chest hair scraping against her breasts caused Abby to arch and tilt her back as she moaned at the sensations bombarding her. “Fuck me. Baby, you need to stop unless you’re up to water sports because you are playing with fire here.”
“Please…” Abby wasn’t even sure what she was begging for. All she knew was her body was filled with a deep need only these two men could fill. She had closed her eyes against the water raining down from the overhead showerheads, but when both men went completely still she brought her head back up and opened her eyes. She was suddenly cold again, but this time was sure it was because of the rejection she was sure was in their expressions. She looked, but didn’t really make any effort to see…she just tried to quickly step to the side so she would be out from between them.
“Stop.” Kalen’s voice stopped her immediately but she didn’t look up. “Look at us, Abigail.” She slowly raised her face making sure she had masked the hurt she felt before she faced them. “Tell us why you tried to leave. What went through that brilliant mind of yours that could have possibly been that inaccurate?”
What? Did he just say inaccurate? Abby looked closely and was surprised to see their lust filled faces watching her intently. “You stopped moving when I, well…when I said please and I just couldn’t take another rejection. I mean it’s been a long time and everything, but I still remember how it felt and then you didn’t finish that day by the pool, so I figured maybe I had it wrong. Maybe you want me but don’t really want me…you know what I mean?” She hadn’t meant to spit all of that out in one breath, but at least it was done.
Abby knew she was intellectually gifted, but she also knew her social skills had taken a big hit because she’d been so focused on getting through school and then all of her energy had gone into her research. She hadn’t had all the same exposure to dating and the opposite sex in general as other women her age. Hell, it wasn’t like the “college scene” was exactly open and welcoming to a sixteen year old girl. She’d simply gone to classes and then back to the small apartment her parents had rented for her. The residents of the building had quickly adopted her and even the doormen knew her schedule and had her cell phone number on speed dial.
Abby had stopped for supplies one day without letting building security know and had gotten three phone calls within fifteen minutes, not including the calls she’d gotten from both of her dads. Abby remembered that day vividly because she’d been both pleased and annoyed at the attention that short delay had drawn. Later that evening she’d gotten a call from Ian McGregor. He’d told her about the bracelet he was having delivered to her. At that time it was a prototype and linked into his cell phone as well as the newly formed security team at a “company” in Colorado. It had been a couple of years before she’d found out she was being monitored by the staff of one of the country’s most exclusive and popular BDSM clubs.
While Jace had been in the SEALs, Ian had kept upgrading her bracelets and had often delivered them himself. Her friends had always clamored to meet the handsome billionaire that she had always considered another big brother of sorts.
When she had started working on the politically controversial bio-fuels project for Garrett Oil, Jace had already retired from the SEALs and taken over Ian’s security team. He brother had wanted to add an addition level of security but she’d fought him tooth and nail. It had only been when Ian had flown to Houston and pled their case had she finally conceded that their concerns might have some validity. But her abductors had taken her backpack and all of her jewelry so…
* * * *
Kalen watched Abby and could almost hear the well-oiled wheels of her mind spinning. When she’d rattled off some nonsense about not really wanting her, he hadn’t had the faintest idea what she’d meant even though she’d assumed they had. When he’d looked up at Logan it had been clear he didn’t understand her remark either. But before they could respond she’d gone off into her own head and he’d known immediately where it was going to end. It was only a matter of seconds until he saw the questions dance through her expressions and then…yep, there it was, the moment she realized the trackers had been missing and they’d found her anyway.
Abby took a step back and the look of distrust and vulnerability that was suddenly filling her eyes was gut-wrenching to see. The eyes that had been filled with passion just a few short minutes ago were now overflowing with questions and insecurity. When she tried to cover herself from their view he’d had enough. “Don’t. Don’t ever cover yourself from our view, Abigail. I’m sure I speak for Logan as well when I tell you I don’t in fact have any idea what you mean by ‘want you but not really wanting you.’ That is about a hundred and eighty degrees out, love. We have wanted you for a very long time, but we were waiting until you were ready.”
She had dropped her hands to her sides but her expression held none of the heat it had earlier and for the first time in his adult life, Kalen was at a total loss about how to proceed. He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair hoping the extra few seconds would provide the Gods time to infuse him with some kind of insight—they didn’t.
Chapter Eight
Logan had been listening to Abby’s thoughts or at least the bits and pieces he could pick up. He wasn’t as gifted as Mitch, but Logan had been an empath as long as he could remember. Until Callie Mc
Gregor, he’d only been able to pick up another person’s emotions if he was touching them and the emotions were strong enough. Callie had been the first person he’d actually been able to “read” as Mitch called it. Logan had argued that it was actually “hearing” but Mitch had just shrugged him off. Mitch had also been helping him fine tune his skill and in this moment he was very grateful for the time they’d spent on video calls working together.
Mitch had warned him that listening to Abby was always going to be a challenge because her mind worked at such a high level of processing and so fast that her thoughts would be hard to track. Logan was grateful that she’d actually spoken some of it aloud so he’d been able to fill in a few of the blanks. He’d seen the frustration in Kalen’s face and had almost felt sorry for the man because it was obvious that for the first time the Dom who was so well known in BDSM circles as controlled and insightful was at a complete loss with Abby. Logan understood that when the stakes are higher the fear of misstep is more intense. And the stakes with this particular woman couldn’t possibly be any higher.
Logan studied her closely and finally spoke, “Ask your question, baby. We’ll never lie to you. There may be times we can’t tell you everything for various security reasons, but if that happens we’ll tell you that straight up.”
There were several seconds where the only sounds were those made by the falling water, and then he knew she was ready. Oh yea, here it comes, chin tilted up and eyes focused. Yes indeed, both barrels pointed right this way. Fuck.